Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-14
Religious Scenes in China.

"Church-begging" is very common
in China. The temples advertise their
wants by posting on walls in the
neighborhood square pieces Of yellow
paper. whercon is the exact Chinese
equivalent of the scriptural, ''Ask and
we shall receive" together with the
name and location Of the temple where
prayers are always answered.
But there are also more personal
forms Of begging. The writer of an
article in the YOUTHS Companion has
seen in Pekin a priest whose cheeks
had been pierced, and the teeth knock
ed out so that an iron rod, as large as
ones middle finger, could be passed
through, TO project an inch or two be-
yond either cheek An iron half-circle
was hinged to each end of this, and
passed around the back of the priests
head. Attached to the half-circle was
an iron chain, which was so long as to
drag on the ground several feet behind
him.
His business was to go from house
to house, beating a small drum, asking
help to repair temple Sympathy
would be wasted on him. He was a
professional church-debt LITTER" who
had monthly wages and a commission
on his collections the rod and
chain were his stock in trade.
There is another way, Still more pc
culiar. A priest stands in a small box
like structure, placed in front of a
temple, through the boards of which
spikes have been driven, SO that the
imprisoned priest can move no part of
his body, except his right arm, without
being pricked by a spike. With his
right hand he rings bell to draw at
tention to his pitiable condition.
Charitable persons give SO much for
the privilege of drawing out spike.
The highest-priced spikes are those
which point at the vital body. The
priest is supposed to stand in his ken
mel day and night until all the spikes
have been bought and drawn, but no
one believes that he really doeseo.
A single incident will show how
much hardship and self-intiicted suffer-
ing some of those heather will under
90 to fulfill religious VOW. One in
tolerably hot and dusty afternoon in
1871 the writer was resting at a way
side tea house to the southwest of Pekin
and saw approaching a man and wo-
man. The man would first take one
long step, then bring his other foot up
and measure his whole length in the
road.
Having knocked his head three times
on the ground, he rose, took another
step, and again Frustrated himself.
The woman was his wife, and was
waiting upon him. In answer to ques-
tons, he said that he had made VOW
that if Buddha would restore to health
his son, who was desperately sick, he
would make pilgrimage to Wu-tai-
shan and home again, a step and a
prostration all the way.
Not more than three miles could be
made in day. He had travelled about
| coo of the 1000 miles of his double
journey, and would be two years long
er in completing his vow. As he was
78 years old, and almost worn out, it
was easy to see that he would not live
to fulfill it. 4 callous lump as large
as an egg projected from his forehead,
raised by his knocking his head upon
the dusty road. Yet this man was
shocked and angry at a suggestion
that he should abandon his useless
pilgrimage, and passed out of sight
measuring the road with his infirm
body.